Are you “ONE” with your work?
Is your well-being tied to your work?
When things go well at work, you can rest and your mood is uplifted.
When things don’t go well at work, you are easily triggered and frustrated.
In many ways, our life is closely related to work.
For those with a full-time job, we spend about half of our waking hours working (if not more).
Many of us spend more waking hours with our colleagues than with our spouses.
The thing is, even though our life revolves around work a lot, there is a very important thing that you should never ever forget.
You are not your work.
Read that again – “I am not my work”
Your sense of identity and worth is not solely tied to your work.
Work provides us with the most tangible achievements. It's easy to get addicted to the sense of accomplishment derived from professional success.
Work often seems urgent because the to-do list never seems to end and there’s always someone else that we are accountable to.
I used to joke that I have separation anxiety with my laptop.
I want to be able to work anywhere, anytime so I shall bring my laptop with me everywhere I go.
Yet, there are many important yet not urgent areas in your life that require your attention too.
Letting work be at the forefront of all that you do is depriving you of a well-rounded, fulfilling life.
Your relationship with your partner can be very important, yet it doesn’t feel urgent until something goes very wrong in the relationship
Your physical health is very important, yet it is also not urgent unless you are sick.
Why is it so hard for you to spend 15 minutes a day to meditate?
Why is it so difficult to pause working and workout for 15 minutes?
It’s not the length of time actually. It’s because deep down you feel that it can wait and there are no consequences if you don’t do it.
“Let me work on this analysis first.”
“Let me send that email first.”
Many things may seem very urgent but I want to pause and ask – is it really?
I am not saying that work is never urgent, of course it is!
I know how it feels like to be in fire-fighting mode at work and in some of the critical times, even 15 minutes makes a difference.
What I want to remind you is that work is never going to feel like it’s not urgent.
In reality, if you are prioritizing and planning ahead, the majority of your work is not urgent.
It feels urgent, but it’s not.
Work is one of the easiest things to fall back on when we want to feel like we matter, and that we have value.
You are already valuable and loved.
You don't need work to prove that.
Remember your important yet not urgent priorities.
These are often some of the most precious areas in life that can withstand your neglect.
Yet, when it breaks, it will hurt you the most.
So, ask yourself – what is one very important yet not urgent area that you want to spend time on?
Even if it’s just 5 minutes, do that.
Trust me, you have time.
With love,
TJ
PS: Making a decision that it's time to change what's not working is one the most important decisions you can make for your career and your life. There's no best timing. Apply for a coaching discovery session today because you know, there's so much more in you. You don't have to do it alone. I am here to support you to move beyond self-doubt and empower you to live your best life.
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